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Cover of Command and Control

Command and Control

Eric Schlosser

HistoryTechnologyPolitics & Society
Publish date
1848
Publisher
The Penguin Press
Description
*Command and Control* examines the history and management of the United States nuclear weapons arsenal during the Cold War. Centered on the 1980 Titan II missile accident in Damascus, Arkansas, the book explores the safety protocols designed to prevent accidental detonations. It details the technical and organizational dilemmas inherent in maintaining secure authority over catastrophic weaponry.
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Books cited in Command and Control

Suggested by AI, not verified against the full text. Check the original book before using them as a source.

  1. The Logic of Accidental Nuclear War

    Bruce G. Blair

    Citation

    Details critical vulnerabilities in early warning and command systems cited extensively by Schlosser.

    High relevanceExplore

  2. Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies

    Charles Perrow

    Citation

    Supplies the theoretical framework on tightly coupled, complex systems prone to inevitable technological failures.

    High relevanceExplore

  3. Managing Nuclear Operations

    Ashton B. Carter, John D. Steinbruner, and Charles A. Zraket

    Citation

    Serves as an authoritative technical source on Cold War nuclear operational procedures and communications.

    High relevanceExplore

  4. The Limits of Safety

    Scott D. Sagan

    Citation

    Provides the foundational organization theory on nuclear weapon accidents heavily referenced throughout the book.

    High relevanceExplore

  5. The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy

    Lawrence Freedman

    Citation

    Provides strategic context for shifts in American nuclear targeting doctrine across presidential administrations.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  6. Strategic Command and Control: Redefining the Nuclear Threat

    Bruce G. Blair

    Citation

    Cited regarding the destabilizing risks inherent in launch-on-warning strategic postures.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  7. The Wizards of Armageddon

    Fred Kaplan

    Citation

    Informs the historical background on RAND Corporation strategists and the formulation of nuclear war plans.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  8. The Making of the Atomic Bomb

    Richard Rhodes

    Citation

    Provides foundational historical context on Manhattan Project safety protocols and nuclear fission discoveries.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  9. Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb

    Richard Rhodes

    Citation

    Referenced for the technical history of thermonuclear weapon design and early handling protocols.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  10. Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940

    Stephen I. Schwartz

    Citation

    Supplies data on the massive financial scale and maintenance infrastructure of the arsenal.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  11. Danger and Survival: Choices About the Bomb in the First Fifty Years

    McGeorge Bundy

    Citation

    Informs analysis of presidential decision-making and crisis management during Cold War atomic alerts.

    Medium relevanceExplore

  12. Trinity's Children: Living Along America's Nuclear Highway

    Tad Bartimus and Scott McCartney

    Citation

    Cited for operational perspectives and daily routines of crews serving at missile silos.

    Medium relevanceExplore

There may be more citations. We show up to 12 per book to keep the list manageable.

Recommendations

  • The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy

    David E. Hoffman

    AI Recommendation

    Investigates Soviet nuclear command vulnerabilities, automated retaliation mechanisms, and arms race perils.

    High relevanceExplore

  • The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner

    Daniel Ellsberg

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    Provides an insider account of hair-trigger nuclear command systems and systemic operational dangers.

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  • Nuclear War: A Scenario

    Annie Jacobsen

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    Dramatizes the rapid escalation and command breakdown inherent in modern launch-on-warning protocols.

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  • Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself

    Garrett M. Graff

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    Explores the continuity-of-government bunkers designed to maintain command and control during nuclear war.

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    Adam Higginbotham

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    Analyzes institutional complacency, system flaws, and human error in catastrophic nuclear technology failures.

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  • Plutopia

    Kate Brown

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    Examines the hidden systemic and environmental risks of plutonium production in the Cold War.

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